This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

TRAVEL: I graduated from Queensland University, with an English major. I lived in 7 of the 52 countries I have visited. These days I live between Quito in Ecuador and Cornwall in the UK. I speak 3 languages.

CAREER: After graduating, I worked for Qantas as an airhostess before teaching English for many years.

BOOKS: Writing has always been part of my life but only recently have I published three books.

PASSIONS: I enjoy rug making, living in new cultures, and gardening. I love going to the theatre, concerts and films. I no longer dance the tango: instead I watch it with pleasure.

Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

True To Herself is a work of women’s fiction written by author Barbara M Webb. In this trans-continental story of drama, romance and self discovery, our heroine is Moira Capaldi. A self assured woman who has had enough of her husband Guido’s outlandish behaviour, Moira leaves him behind in Australia and travels to England to pursue her longstanding passion for art. But as she winds her way through new discoveries, friendships and re-establishing her own life as a single woman, romance rears its head again. Between her old ties to Australia and her new attractions, Moira realizes that she can’t throw away the past entirely when moving into the future.

Having recently read a non-fiction work by the same author, the love of travel and the international flavour of this book really grabbed and captivated me for page after page. The not-quite-now setting of 1985 allows for some of the modern conveniences in the tale but not the self-obsessed camera and mobile phone culture of today, which made the read really refreshing on a personal level as well. Author Barbara M Webb tells her story well, with a strong and passionate heroine in Moira whom you really want to see succeed throughout the tale. I also very much enjoyed the fact that, although it is a romantic tale in places, the main focus was on Moira’s inner growth and her own happiness, which doesn’t have to be placed in her attachment to others. Overall, True To Herself is an uplifting story that I’d certainly recommend.

Rate this book:

Name:

Comment/Review:

Ankita Shukla

What would you do if the only life you ever knew suddenly turned out to be an illusion? When Moira found her husband in an act of adultery on their marital bed, her stable life seemed nothing more than the biggest lie of all time. True to Herself by Barbara M Webb begins with a shattered woman and ends with a woman who knows her true self. This journey, however, wasn't easy for Moira. With her shattered trust, she could not bear the thought of spending another second with her husband, so she decided to leave him and go to another country. Leaving one's home is difficult enough, but starting a new life in a new land with no security blanket turned out to be an unimaginable task.

True to Herself by Barbara M Webb is a story of hope. Although Moira could not see it, there was a bigger picture in her leaving her husband. She realized that she was with this man for all the wrong reasons. There is a silver lining among the darkest clouds, and the author has pointed it out quite skillfully in this story. There are so many women out there who decide to stay in their loveless marriages due to convenience, but Moira's story will encourage them to take a leap of faith and follow their instincts. There is romance, philosophy, art, culture, and history in these pages. There is also an unexpected pinch of horror element in this story which took me by surprise, but it was a welcome surprise. I found the pace of the book a little slower than that of my liking. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories of hope and female empowerment.

Deborah Lloyd

Moira Capaldi was forced to face the truth of her marriage when she found her husband Guido cheating on her. Although the marriage had been unfulfilling for some years, it took this shock for her to make the decision to leave him. She also left her career and comfortable life in Sydney, Australia to move to England. Creating a new, enriching life in the small town of West Gidding was not easy but Moira forged her way in the novel True to Herself, written by Barbara M. Webb. Moira soon found a place to stay, two jobs and, most importantly, her true self. Her love of the arts and painting was a driving force in becoming who she truly wanted to be. Surprisingly, renting a room in a possibly haunted house contributed unexpected energies to her quest of reaching her full potential as a strong, independent woman.

True to Herself is an engaging and thought-provoking read. It presents interesting questions to introspective readers who enjoy reflecting upon the roles of men and women in relationships. Character development, especially Moira’s, is exceptionally written. The characters of Guido, Tony and Mike are also well defined. Moira’s decisions are depicted with realistic benefits and costs; how her parents react to her decisions is one example of this. The author’s descriptions of the cultures of big city life in Australia versus village life in England in the mid-1980s are also enlightening. She writes in an easy to read style, and the story flows smoothly. Barbara M. Webb’s True to Herself is a captivating read.